1994 Memoir – 132. Execution Of Travelers

Around the latter part of December, 1944, even before the appearance of the U.S. planes above the town, we witnessed the almost daily execution of innocent civilians, men, women, and children, back of the Elementary School Building, which was converted into a Jap garrison, close to our house.

The dividing line between our house and the garrison was the wire fence of our garden.

Back of our house was the Magat River and its bank. The sandy bank of the river was a very convenient burial place for mass executions.

Early in the morning when we saw men digging on the sandy bank, we right away knew that a mass execution would be held in the afternoon when no more planes were overhead, around sunset. The diggers were civilians guarded by Jap soldiers.

We watched through our back window and from the window of our toilet how the poor, innocent victims were killed, whose vehicles were confiscated by the retreating Japs.

One by one they were tied up and stringed together with both wrists to a long rope and marched beside the dug mass grave led by a Japanese with guards at the rear.

One of the guards with fixed bayonet marched to the opposite side of the hole; then two guards cut off the rope attached to the main group, or detached one victim to be brought facing the executioner. The two guards eagle-spread the victim before the executioner who, with a loud voice, KIAT!, thrust his rifle with attached bayonet to the throat, KIAT!, thrust the bayonet through the victim’s heart, KIAT!, thrust the bayonet through the stomach as he is thrown to the hole. This was repeated before the eyes of the other victims. Then the hole was covered as we heard the wailing of the dying people!

The execution or massacre was done almost daily from December to January. At night we heard dogs fighting for the half-buried dead bodies. During our reunion with the Bayabos clan in Quezon City in 1993, we were told that Sunday Catholic masses had to be done at the execution site, where mournful sounds were heard at night.